The Mother Runners Podcast with Whitney Heins

SARA HALL: In it for the LONG HAUL

• The Mother Runners I Whitney Heins • Season 1 • Episode 36

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0:00 | 53:55

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Today we get to catch-up with Sara Hall. If you haven't read her New York Times Bestselling memoir, For the Love of the Grind, what are you waiting for? 

From her roots as a national high school champion to becoming an NCAA star at Stanford University, Sara Hall has achieved remarkable milestones spanning three decades (!), including being the only professional runner to win U.S. titles in both the mile and marathon. Sara holds the American record in the half marathon and her personal best marathon time is a 2:20:32! 

But Sara’s journey hasn't been without challenges--and her imperfect journey is what makes her so relatable and inspiring. Sara's faced insecurities, injuries, and setbacks. Despite the doubts from others and the temptation to prioritize the career of her husband, Olympic marathoner Ryan Hall, Sara remained steadfast in her pursuit of excellence in our sport. Sara and Ryan also are the parents of four girls they adopted from Ethiopia. 

In this conversation, we talk about:

🌀How being a runner helped prepare her to become a mom of her 4, practically overnight

🌀Her barometer to ensure she is balancing training & being a mom well

🌀Overcoming injuries and the fear of re-injury

🌀The mindset (& supplements) that help her compete at the highest level at the age of 43, &

🌀What's next for her!

Sara’s story will resonate deeply as she balances the priorities of world-class competition, family life, parenting, and a strong commitment to faith and community. 
 
THANK YOU, SPONSORS!:

 💗 GOODR functional, fashionable, fun, and affordable eyewear. Save $10 off at goodr.com/motherrunners.
💗CURE HYDRATION delicious & clean hydration: Save 15% with code MOTHERRUNNER.

RESOURCES:

💗IG: @sarahall3

💗Book

💗Run Freely App

TIMESTAMPS:

0:41 — family / kids / nest changing

8:11 — masters running / age mindset / adapting

10:04 — beliefs / self-talk / aging

21:32 — all-in training / family balance / boundaries

28:59— marathon pacing / going out too fast

34:34 — Boston / elite field / comeback

40:53 — typical training day / mom life / work schedule

43:25 — motherhood / running as a better mom

47:22 — masters supplements / recovery / inflammation

52:51— mental toughness / race mindset / MM song motivation

Whitney Heins is a mom of 2, a lifelong runner, a VDOT-certified running coach for moms who run, and founder of the resource, themotherrunners.com. When training for her first marathon as a mom, she found a dearth of information related to running and motherhood. She also felt extremely isolated as a new mom. As a former TV journalist and a freelance writer she decided to use her skills to fill the void with an online resource and community, called The Mother Runners. Whitney also recognized a need for run coaches who understood the demands of motherhood, so she also became a running coach—unearthing a passion for helping moms reap the rewards and empowerment of running. Coming out of a long injury cycle, she ran a 2:54 marathon and 1:20 half marathon in her 40s. She lives in Knoxville, TN with her husband, two kids, and three dogs.